Alabama

Trey Glenn, shown here at Alabama A&M University in 2009 while head of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, has been named the EPA's Region 4 Administrator, overseeing EPA operations in the 8-state Southeast region.

Trey Glenn, shown here at Alabama A&M University in 2009 while head of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, has been named the EPA's Region 4 Administrator, overseeing EPA operations in the 8-state Southeast region.(Huntsville Times archives)

Trey Glenn -- the former director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management who resigned in 2009 -- has been named the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 4 Administrator, charged with overseeing EPA operations throughout the Southeast.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made the announcement in a news release Monday.

"Trey Glenn will bring invaluable experience as regional administrator having spent over two decades working in the field of environmental and regulatory policy," Pruitt said in the news release. "Mr. Glenn will help us carry out President Trump's vision of creating a more streamlined and efficient EPA that focuses on the Agency's core mission, while also providing more regulatory certainty to our nation's businesses."

Since leaving ADEM, Glenn has worked for private engineering firms and registered as a lobbyist for the Business Council of Alabama for the years 2013-2017.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement of support for Glenn in the EPA news release.

"We are proud to have a person of Trey Glenn's caliber leading such an important organization for our area," Ivey said. "His experience as Director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management places him in a unique position to be prepared to work with these southern states. We are also especially glad to know someone with in-depth knowledge of Alabama will be overseeing our region."

Controversial tenure at ADEM

Glenn headed ADEM from 2005-2009, but his tenure at the department was overshadowed by an ethics investigation in 2007 and 2008.

The Alabama Ethics Commission voted 4-0 to refer to a district attorney allegations that Glenn had violated Alabama ethics laws while head of the state's Office of Water Resources, prior to assuming his post at ADEM.

In December 2008, a Montgomery County grand jury chose not to indict Glenn on those charges. He resigned as ADEM director in 2009 to "pursue opportunities in the private sector."

The ethics complaints against Glenn centered on two sets of allegations:

First, the complaint alleged Glenn and his family traveled to Walt Disney World and Hilton Head, S.C. on private flights paid for by public relations firm Matrix, while Glenn worked for the Office of Water Resources. Matrix represented Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental engineering firm that did work for the Office of Water Resources.

Second, the complaint stated that Glenn signed off on invoices from Malcolm Pirnie while under consideration for the ADEM job.

Scott Phillips, who was then chair of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, was also head of the Birmingham office of Malcolm Pirnie. Phillips did not vote on Glenn's hiring, but the commission found probable cause that Glenn had used his position at the Office Water Resources to help obtain the ADEM director's job.

Glenn's attorney, James Anderson, told The Birmingham News at the time that Glenn testified he had paid back the public relations firm for the flights in question, which were mistakenly paid for by the firm. Anderson said approval of invoices was a routine part of Glenn's job, and he did not select Malcolm Pirnie for the work.

While that investigation was ongoing, Glenn also generated headlines after attending a Montgomery Biscuits baseball game with several family members as guests of Alabama Power, which is regulated by ADEM. Glenn worked at Alabama Power for seven years as an engineer before joining the state's Office of Water Resources, but said the tickets for that game had been given to his mother, Jo Glenn, who was then mayor of Wetumpka.

Complaints from environmental groups

Environmental groups in the state complained of a dramatic drop in enforcement actions taken by the Department when Glenn was in charge.

A group called the ADEM Reform Coalition cited a 78 percent drop in pollution penalties in 2009 compared to previous years. Glenn argued those figures were incomplete and did not tell the whole story, arguing there was ''less of a focus on quantity and more of a focus on quality'' at the agency, according to The Birmingham News archives.

Several environmental groups also filed legal petitions to the EPA during Glenn's tenure, asking the federal agency to revoke ADEM's water pollution permit authority, arguing that the department was not adequately fulfilling its responsibilities under the Clean Water Act.

Many of the groups involved worry Glenn will favor business over environmental protections.

"Trey Glenn consistently sided against the protection of public health and Alabama's natural resources through his tenure as ADEM Director," said Mobile Baykeeper Casi Callaway. "By the end of his term, he refused to meet with members of the environmental community, instead favoring the business sector where he quickly landed after quitting ADEM.

"He has made his interests clear - industry over environment and community. If that remains consistent while at EPA, the environmental community will have an even bigger battle."

Cindy Lowry, executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, cited Glenn's history of ethics issues and decrease in enforcement actions at ADEM as reasons for concern.

"To have this person in a leadership position of the entire region should be alarming to everyone who cares about clean water and clean air," Lowry said. "As shocking as this is, it highlights a destructive pattern by the new administration.

"The one thing they have made clear is the desire to dismantle any laws we have in place to protect public health and the quality of our rivers and streams."

Support from Alabama officials, BCA

Other state officials issued statements of support for Glenn in his new role, including Sen. Richard Shelby and current ADEM Director Lance LeFleur.

"President Trump made a wise choice in selecting Trey," LeFleur said. "I am confident he will do an outstanding job, especially considering he will have an exceptionally fine career staff in Region 4 at his side. I look forward to working with Trey in assuring for Alabama citizens a safe, healthful, and productive environment."

Business Council of Alabama President and CEO William J. Canary also issued a statement of support.

"Trey's experience as director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, at the Alabama Office of Water Resources, and his engineering and management work as a business owner in the private sector gives him valuable knowledge that will serve both citizens, businesses, and the environment," Canary said in a news release.

"As a valuable member of the BCA advocacy team, Trey provided important leadership and advice in environmental matters for Alabama's business community."

Glenn is the first full-time Regional Administrator named by Pruitt since taking over the Agency under the Trump Administration, and long-term observers have noted this Administration has been slower to fill high-level vacancies than in the past at EPA and other federal agencies.

EPA Region 4 includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.